Spring is here and we've been spending a lot of our afternoons outside - going to the playground, gardening or just hanging out on the porch. I'm an afternoon iced coffee drinker, so I like to sit on my rocking chair on the porch and relax with my cafecito. I found something at the grocery store today that I can give to K to enjoy on our porch-sitting afternoon:...

We went out as a family tonight to get tacos. It was a new spot that some friends recommended. It was totally in the boonies on some narrow, hidden street, so we figured it must be good. When we got there, the parking lot was full. No, it must be awesome. And then we walked in, and the first thing I see is this huge lighted picture menu that...

We usually eat at home for lunch, but my stomach was rumbling when we were out and the child had it on repeat asking for chocolate cake, chocolate cake, chocolate cake -- an obsession since I bought one for my husband's birthday two weeks ago. She really just means frosting. Or frosting-like substances like Nutella. So we went to Whole Foods and I got her a chocolate cupcake,...

The toddler K took swimming lessons this summer, and all she could talk about for three months (besides her birthday, which is apparently every day) was swimming, swimming, and more swimming. But in a pool. When we got to Miami Beach last week I'm not sure that she remembered it from last year, because as soon as we tried to put her down to walk her feet would shoot up...

All I heard today on the news here in DC today was how friggin hot it was going to get and be careful and stay indoors and keep hydrated, blah, blah, blah. It got up to 99, and yeah, it was hot and it doesn't feel so awesome to have the backs of your thighs sticking to the bus stop bench or to have sweaty pits or melting skin foundation,...

There are basically three frames of mind that I live in. Negative. Sometimes, I'm gripey and whiney and complainey. I like hearing myself complain because its cathartic and it makes me feel better and clears my head. I actually really enjoy going to happy hour with other whiners because the conversation -- dripping with conflict -- is much more interesting. Sometimes, I back into my whining. I know that if...

Not that I do that much cooking anyway -- just whatever I can throw together after work with minimal prep. But this is definitely going to be a take-out or eat out weekend. I'm tired, and I need to hit up the grocery store. With the toddler we don't even bother to go to nice restaurants anymore. We stick to Baja Fresh, Qdoba and Chipotle, mostly. Better known as, Bueno...

It was either the boxed milk off the store shelf, or this one -- the only one in the refrigerator section in the supermarket we went to in Bilbao today. Refrigerated equals fresh, or it should, and that's what children from the U.S. drown themselves in every day. The pic on the box has a cow grazing in the pasture, so that's a start, right? And the word leche is...

Right now, there's a baby gate that bars baby K from the kitchen. It's so sad when I'm cooking and there she is, hanging on to the bars crying and trying to get to me. Or to the dog's water and food bowls. Probably the latter. Once baby K gets a little older I'm going to get her a little apron and put her to work. Like my sister-in-law tells...

I am traveling for work yet again -- this time in Dallas -- and it seems burgers are now officially my food of choice to quell my mama-missing-baby feelings. When I was in LA a few weeks ago I had an In-N-Out burger but wasn't really feeling it. It was aight, but didn't live up to the hype. Now THIS was an excellent meal. And now I'm ready to head...

This is my older brother's DREAM come true. He can literally eat pan dulce like Cookie Monster gets down with cookies. I literally raided Xochico's online store when I saw this collection. I couldn't wait for my order to come in--and it finally did on Saturday. First, I gotta say, the packaging these products come in is amazing. It's better than wrapped presents. It's authentic. Everything comes in pink boxes--just...

I've been in LA for past two days for work, and I miss baby K so much. I'm at LAX right now and gonna get on a red eye. Every time I hear a baby cry or child babble my heart beats faster. I mean, even Shrek 3 and the sight of little green Shrek babies with big eyes on the flight over made my eyes well up. I totally...